Swimming | Sports Coach

What kind of nutrition is recommended for regular swimmers?

The type and quantity of nutrition necessary for good health and well being for swimmers depends on the duration, intensity and purpose of the swimmers.

For professional swimmers there are expert nutritionists, physiotherapists and coaches who together with the athlete determine the best diet for maximum performance. The whole process is covered in a very scientific way with empirical inputs, what works and what doesn’t for each individual athlete.

Depending upon the metabolic profile, fat profile, muscle profile and overall strength and endurance levels of each individual athlete a nutrition program can be designed which has the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and minerals for peak performance.

For amateur swimmers who are serious about maintaining an athletic profile, a high protein, medium carbohydrate and low fat diet is ideal for maximum benefit. A high protein diet can ensure that the muscle to weight ratio is optimum and the muscle mass is not compromised. A medium carbohydrate diet would make sure that there are enough calories and nutrients in the body for quick energy workout and endurance swimming without undergoing fatigue. Swimmers should avoid complex-sugar rich products which are difficult to metabolize in favor of simple sugars found in fruit juices and vegetables. A low fat intake would make sure that the body does not gain fat and the senses do not become dull.

A diet rich in Vitamin E and A as well as adequate Iron and Zinc is also highly advised for a healthy physical condition. Overall a normal nutritious diet on a daily basis should be more than adequate for most swimmers except professional athletes.

Filed Under: Fitness, Swimming Tagged With: Nutrition, swimming

What type of swimwear is recommended for swimming?

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The type of swimwear one wears is very important since it determines how much extra weight one wants to carry when the swimwear will be soaked in water, the water resistance one would face depending upon the design of the swimwear and the cultural as well as moral limitations or inhibitions one might have to take into account.

For swimmers who want to swim regularly and have firm goals in terms of improving their physical condition through regimented swimming, a tight skin hugging swimwear which covers the private parts is most appropriate. There are several manufacturers such as Speedo, Keifer, TYR and others who sell scientifically designed swimwear for both men and women.

For amateur swimmers who swim for an intense workout a swim brief or micro-brief is a good option as it would minimize added weight and water resistance. Same holds true for women who can choose either a uni-body swimsuit or a sport bikini for maximum performance.

For casual swimmers added weight is perhaps not such a big issue since they are mainly interested in recreation. For such swimmers, loose knee length swimming shorts are adequate and as far as females are concerned they can wear any swimsuit they feel comfortable with.

For swimmers who are culturally limited by the amount of body they can expose, especially women from Islamic cultures, there are single piece bathing suits with designs which cover most of the body trunk and even portions of arms and legs.

There are also manufacturers who can custom design swimwear for individual requirements but they are expensive. Therefore it is better to select your swimwear from the already existing designs by major manufacturers.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: Speedo, Swimsuit

What type of goggles should be used for swimming?

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One of the most important concerns when swimming is the proper protection of eyes. This is specially important when the swimming regimen is more than once a week and considerable amount of time is spent when eyes are exposed to chlorinated water.

The water in swimming pool is not pure water or fresh water as found in unpolluted lakes or rivers, but heavily fortified with chemicals such as antivirals, anti-bacterials and anti fungals. These chemicals when exposed to the naked eye can lead to burning, irritation, vision problems, redness and swelling and even further complications if left exposed for too long.

Typically it is a wise thing to wear protective goggles when swimming so they can cover the eyes during the entire duration of the swim. Goggles serve two important functions; they provide excellent under water visibility which is generally impossible with the naked eye, and they protect from chemicals in the pool water.

The choice of goggles should be made after a thorough research of how different goggles from different vendors feel around the eyes and whether they provide adequate insulation from water without putting unnecessary pressure on the eyes. If the goggles are not well designed, the sockets designed to cover eyes will either not fit well or will not be able to provide water tight protection.

Even Olympic athletes have trouble choosing the right goggles. This could be witnessed during Olympics when even Michael Phelps’s goggles could not prevent water gushing in front of his eyes which blurred his vision.

It is highly advisable that goggles should be tried physically in the shop to ascertain their comfort level and design before making a final purchase. It is also recommended that these goggles should be worn under water immediately to make sure the purchase was satisfactory otherwise it is always a good idea to return the goggles and have them replaced with another set of goggles which might provide a better fit.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: Goggles, Michael Phelps

Is regular fluid and electrolyte consumption required during lap swim?

Casual swimming is done by most people by the time they turn 20, and many among these take to swimming on a regular basis for their fitness needs. The people who swim regularly can train themselves by either doing a non stop lap swim for 1-2 hours or short sessions of 5-10 minutes interspersed with 1-2 minute breaks.

Depending upon the intensity and duration of swimming regimen there would be proportional amount of calorie, fluid and electrolyte loss from the body which has to be replenished in some way. The fluid and electrolyte loss is of utmost concern since the body can feel dehydrated and weak if the fluids are not consumed during the duration of swim.

For most non professional swimmers, the loss of fluids is not a great concern if the swimming regimen is not intense. Similarly, if the swimmers are swimming for less than 60 minutes there should not be a great cause for concern as far as replenishment of fluids is concerned. However, it is advisable to take a bottle of Gatorade or even plain water to the pool if the duration of swim is likely to exceed 90 minutes and the swimmer intends to use those 90 minutes for an intense non stop lap swim work out.

Swimmers should also take into account what strokes they are going to use more frequently during swimming. Butterfly and breast stroke requires a lot more stamina and leads to faster depletion of body fluids compared to swimming freestyle, or using back stroke.

Swimmers can also visit certified physical trainers who can help access their body type, fitness level and physiological requirements so that a personal evaluation is made as to how much fluids and electrolytes individual swimmers might need according to their exercise regimen.

In most cases, swimmers who swim regularly for 60-90 minutes need no more than a plain water bottle which they can sip from during short 30 second breaks every 20-30 minutes, but for more complex swimming workouts it is advisable to take an electrolyte solution such as Gatorade and even an energy bar.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: Gatorade, swimming

Is stretching or yoga good for body before long distance lap swimming?

Although swimming is one of the safest and least impact prone forms of exercise, long distance non stop lap swim can lead to chronic back problems if proper and methodical warm up exercise such as stretching or yoga is not performed before hand.

Animals in the wild are more attuned to their bodies than humans. lions, tigers and wolves are known to naturally engage in stretching before going for a hunting expedition or travelling long distances with their families. One of the most iconic poses for large animals such as lions is the forward and backward bend on their four legs in alternating order to loosen their musculoskeletal system.

Humans can learn a lot from animal kingdom and many stretching and yoga postures have been derived directly from animal movements which can help loosen the joints and muscles inside body before putting it to a good intense workout.

Several yoga postures such as serpent pose, lion pose, swan pose and monkey pose can help calm and loosen many crucial pressure points in the body before going ahead with a non stop long distance lap swim. The area around ankles, knee caps, thighs, glutes, upper as well as lower back, and the entire length of arms including elbows and shoulders should be stretched systematically based on modern warm up poses. Those who cannot practice yoga for religious reasons can do general stretching or pilates to warm up and condition their body before an intense lap swimming regimen.

Methodical stretching for 10-15 minutes can relax and free up all the tension inside joints and condition the heart rate and body temperature for an intense one to two hour non stop lap swim.

Filed Under: Excercises, Swimming Tagged With: Physical exercise, Stretching, Yoga

Is regular swimming good for Health?

Swimming is one of the favorite exercises among people of every major demographic. Whether you are young, middle aged or old, man or a woman, obese or thin, swimming is beneficial for health in every demographic category.

Swimming regularly at least three to four times a week has been proven to be excellent for heart, musculoskeletal system and provides a good work out for almost every major organ in the body. Swimming also has advantages over other aerobic exercises such as running, walking and cycling since it does not create sudden impact on joints in the musculoskeletal system due to water’s soft resistance.

Aerobic exercises such as running, brisk walking and cycling specially on hard surfaces such as walkways made of concrete, asphalt coated roads or stationary treadmills can lead to extensive wear and tear and adverse impact on joints. Many athletes such as basketball players, soccer players and American football players face persistent problems with their knees, ankles and spinal columns which exacerbates over many years if long period of rest and recuperation is not involved. Therefore running as a form of aerobic exercise cannot be sustained for many years by professional athletes as well as general public without a long list of injuries.

On the other hand regular swimming provides the same benefits as running or cycling without damaging joints over a period of time. Regular swimming can therefore be undertaken without any side effects in the long run. Swimming is also very helpful for those who suffer from chronic heart problems, arthritis, and is proven to be helpful for accident victims with spinal injuries. People with arthritis might find excruciatingly painful to run or even walk, but they can easily do light swimming and keep themselves healthy in the long run.

Regular swimming is perhaps one of the best sports for overall mind body well being as it provides impact free workout, is sustainable over the long term and facilitates mental focus.

Filed Under: Excercises, Swimming Tagged With: Aerobic exercise, swimming

The Important Strokes

When you begin to swim, you may find that you are only doing the most basic stroke that almost everybody knows- the dog paddle. And while you can mull your way through the pool using the dog paddle (and it can even save your life), you have got to move beyond that level if you are ever going to experience any kind of success at the sport of swimming. After all, having a skill is great, but being able to show if off to people is a whole lot better still. There are four different types of strokes that are typically done in competitive swimming. They are the back stroke, the breast stroke, the butterfly and freestyle. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages, but you can get good at any of them.

The breast stroke and the butterfly involve keeping your legs moving in the same way as one another. The back stroke and freestyle, on the other hand, are flutter kicking strokes, because your feet move in opposition to one another during them. And this is a fairly important distinction, because you will generally find that you are better at one type of kicking than you are at the other. While some people master all four strokes (and become individual medley stars), most people will be doing very well just to get one stroke down really well.

There are situations in which every kind of stroke is important. For example, you are more likely to end up saving your own life in a bad situation by using freestyle swimming. It is the fastest and the second easiest to handle. The breast stroke, on the other hand, tends to be easier when you are out to be aware of where you are going. There is no better looking swimming stroke than the butterfuly, for when you want to impress people with your power. And the back stroke is just good for keeping afloat effectively.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: Stroke, swimming

Training to Swim

When you want to learn how to swim, there are a couple of different ways that you can use. For many people, just being able to swim effectively enough to save their own (and anybody else’s) life is plenty to know for their purposes. For some other people, being able to do complex, beautifully choreographed synchronized swimming techniques is the way they want to go with it. And for some other people, swimming is a great way to win races. Naturally, these are three very different ideologies, and as such they will involve using three entirely different strategies for getting to your goals. And while they will all feed each other (becoming good at one will naturally push you a little bit of the way toward becoming good at the others), they are far from the same pursuits.

If you have ever seen a group of synchronized swimmers, you may notice that a lot of their time is actually spent outside of the water. These young ladies will typically spend more than half of their training time on the pool deck, simply rehearsing their routines. They get it down to the point where they could do the motions in their sleep (which would be very dangerous underwater). But the most impressive thing about a synchronized swimmer is in her ability to hold her breath under water- their average amount of time is about two minutes.

By contrast, most people who are just swimming for their lives (or even competitive swimmers) are very rarely going to have to hold their breath for more than twenty seconds or so. They spend their time in the water, doing lap after lap, after lap. The training is more about getting the strokes down than it is to do anything to the beat of a song. While there is no right or wrong, how you train is very much informed by what you are out to accomplish when you swim.

Filed Under: Fitness, Swimming Tagged With: swimming, Synchronized swimming

Pushing Yourself During Practice

A lot of people who first get into a swim team will develop a mindset that gets surprisingly complacent. When your coach tells you that you have got to step outside of your comfort zone while you train, they are not simply telling you that you have got to come to practice. While this is definitely an important part of it, consider how well you would likely do at a job if all you ever did was show up for it. Of course, you would probably be mediocre at it on your best day. And in a sport, which is perhaps even more competitive than many jobs would be, this is doubly the case. You have got to push it a lot harder than that, if you want to be truly successful.

A large part of your success is actually going to come out of your mindset. Some people say that how you train is how you perform. And while there might be some exceptions to this rule, swimming is not going to be one of those times. If you show up to practice every day and pretty much day dream your way through your practicing, you should not be all that surprised when the other swimmers and up passing you when the crowd is watching and the water is flying.

So when you get into the pool, you have got focus on your objective. If you are swimming to get a lean, sexy look, focus on that as if it were an obsession. And if you are swimming with the objective of winning races, you have got to push with all of your might, with the right intention to do so. After everything, your ultimate success in the pool, just like your ultimate success in life, is going to come down to a roughly even mixture of thinking about it and actually doing it. If you do that, and push yourself, you will succeed.

Filed Under: Sports, Swimming Tagged With: swimming

Perfecting Your Strokes

When you first jump into the water, you are almost undoubtedly going to be a pretty bad swimmer. Everybody starts out that way, even if they will later go on to win Olympic gold. No matter how great you may one day end up, you start out a raw rookie, just like everybody else. And this is definitely a good thing, because it teaches you the humility that you are going to need, either when you lose, or when you want to inspire other people in a positive manner. Between the first time you hop into the water and the first time you win a race, you are going to have to do a lot of practicing. Your strokes are going to need to become very good.

The first step is, you are going to need some proactive feedback on how you swim. If your strokes get really bad, you are going to be seriously inefficient. While every professional athlete has some kind of technical faults in their game, they can overcome these imperfections through their sheer athletic grace and their ultimate ability to visualize what they want to achieve and make it happen. You are not going to start out with these capabilities (though learning them is a big part of the sport, too), so you might as well get your form to the highest level that is humanly possible for you.

Once you get to the point where your strokes are very good, you are going to have to practice them successfully over and over again, until you have your muscle memory tuned to the point where you can do your strokes perfectly without investing any kind of thought into doing so. It has got to be a completely automatic action. And when you swim your very best races, you are going to find universally that this is the case. Just remember to practice successful strokes, and you will learn to be great.

Filed Under: Swimming Tagged With: Muscle memory, Stroke